Rahmat Abbasnejad Seresti; Seyyed Kamal Asadi Ojaei; Xinying Zhou; Hengameh Kheiri Malakshah
Abstract
After 70 years we still have very little knowledge about the Epi-Paleolithic, Pre-pottery Neolithic (PPN), and Pottery Neolithic (PN) periods in the eastern Mazandaran plains. Unreliable ...
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After 70 years we still have very little knowledge about the Epi-Paleolithic, Pre-pottery Neolithic (PPN), and Pottery Neolithic (PN) periods in the eastern Mazandaran plains. Unreliable excavation methods, the application of personal taste in collecting data, and uncertain analyses are among the issues we face in Coon`s excavations at the Hotu and Kamarband caves. Additionally, there are no detailed reports of pottery from the caves by Coon. In the following years, only general information and a few pictures and drawings by archaeologists were published, which, although helpful, weren’t enough. In the last two decades, despite the excavations and field surveys that have been carried out, there have been no attempts to reinterpret the Caspian Neolithic Software (the CNS pottery type). Touq Tappeh and Tappeh Valiki, located in the Neka Plain, are two CNS sites that yielded over 2500 sherds belonging to the PN. Analysis of the pottery assemblage suggests a need to revise our assumptions about the CNS type. The diversity in production and decoration reflects household production, although they show a specific pattern at regional and inter-regional levels. It has come to our attention that while some researchers have referred to this pottery as the Djeitun/Chakhmaq style, new absolute dates tell a different story. The sherds presented in this paper can be categorized into two groups - regional and inter-regional - with the majority belonging to the CNS type. The dating of Touq Tappeh suggests that the PN layers belong to 6250-5800 BC. Meanwhile, dating from Hotu indicates that the PN began around 6400 BC, and at Tappeh Valiki, it started around 6600 BC. Consequently, the CNS culture in the eastern region of Mazandaran is now considered the oldest Pottery Neolithic culture in northeastern Iran.
